July 21, 2019 – Learning from James – Patient Confidence

Patient Confidence


Judges 11:29-40 - New International Version (NIV)

²⁹ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. ³⁰ And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord: “If you give the Ammonites into my hands, ³¹ whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord’s, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering.”

³² Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. ³³ He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

³⁴ When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. ³⁵ When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, “Oh no, my daughter! You have brought me down and I am devastated. I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break.”

³⁶ “My father,” she replied, “you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. ³⁷ But grant me this one request,” she said. “Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry.”

³⁸ “You may go,” he said. And he let her go for two months. She and her friends went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. ³⁹ After the two months, she returned to her father, and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite tradition ⁴⁰ that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Who “came on Jephthah” (verse 29)?

What did Jephthah vow to do if God gave the Ammonites to him (verses 30 and 31)?

Who did the Lord give the Ammonites to (verse 32)?

How many towns did Jephthah devastate (verse 33)?

Who came out from his home in Mizpah to meet Jephthah (verse 34)?

In your opinion, whose fault was it that Jephthah was devastated (verse 35)?

What did Jephthah’s daughter tell her father to do (verse 36)?

What did Jephthah’s daughter ask for (verse 37)?

Why did Jephthah’s daughter and her friends weep (verse 38)?

What did Jephthah do when his daughter returned (verse 39)?

Who commemorate’s the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite (verse 40)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 4:35-41 - New International Version (NIV)                

³⁵ That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. ³⁷ A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. ³⁸ Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

³⁹ He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Where did Jesus say to the disciples to go (verse 35)?

Who did the disciples leave behind (verse 36)?

Why was the boat “nearly swamped” (verse 37)?

In your opinion, why did the disciples ask Jesus “don’t you care if we drown” (verse 38)?

Who did Jesus tell “Quiet! Be still!” (verse 39)?

In your opinion, why did Jesus ask the disciples “do you still have no faith” (verse 40)?


How did the disciples feel (verse 41)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, how is Jephthah making a vow to the Lord in Judges 11:29-40 similar to the disciples waking Jesus in the storm in Mark 4:35-41?


Hebrews 11:1-12 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. ² This is what the ancients were commended for.

³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

⁴ By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

⁵ By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶ And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

⁷ By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. ¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

What is “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (verse 1)?

What were the ancients “commended for” (verse 2)?

How do we “understand that the universe was formed at God’s command” (verse 3)?

How did Abel bring a better offering to God that Cain (verse 4)?

Who did not experience death (verse 5)?

Why is it impossible to please God without faith (verse 6)?

In your opinion, how did Noah’s faith condemn the world (verse 7)?

What did Abraham not know about the place where he was called to go (verse 8)?

Who were heirs with Abraham of the promise (verse 9)?

What did Abraham look forward to (verse 10)?

How was Sarah enabled to bear children (verse 11)?

How numerous are Abraham’s descendants (verse 12)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, since Hebrews 11:1-12 describes faith as “confidence in what we hope for” what do can we understand about Jephthah since he said “if you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes . . . will be the Lord’s” in Judges 11:29-40?

In your opinion, since Hebrews 11:1-12 also describes faith as “assurance about what we do not see”, what does the disciples’ question “Teacher, don’t you care if  we drown” in Mark 4:35-41 help us understand about their faith? 


James 5:7-12 – New International Version (NIV)

⁷ Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. ⁸ You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. ⁹ Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

¹⁰ Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. ¹¹ As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

¹² Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple “Yes” or “No.” Otherwise you will be condemned.

In your opinion, how does James using the example of the farmer “patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains” to help the land yield its crop as an illustration of the way we should wait for the Lord’s coming help us understand his instruction to “be patient” (verse 7)?

Why should Christians “be patient and stand firm” (verse 8)?


What will happen if Christians “grumble against one another” (verse 9)?


Who is an “example of patience in the face of suffering” (verse 10)?


What is the Lord full of (verse 11)?


What should Christians not swear by (verse 12)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, how does the story of Jephthah being filled with the Spirit of the Lord and then making a vow in Judges 11:29-40 help us understand why James would say that Christians should not swear “by heaven or by earth or by anything else” in James 5:7-12?


In your opinion, how are Christians who need the instruction of James 5:7-12 to be patient as we wait for the return of the Lord similar to the disciples who questioned Jesus’ love for them as the waves were breaking over the boat in Mark 4:35-41?


In your opinion, how can the “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” that is discussed in Hebrews 11:1-12 help Christains have the patience that James 5:7-12 instructs?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Judges, Mark, Hebrews and James teach us about the relationship between vows and impatience and the Lord’s coming and strength of faith?


In your opinion, what do we need to persevere in as Christians to increase our “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see”?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 14, 2019 – Learning from James – Little and Much

Little and Much


2 Kings 5:15-27 - New International Version (NIV)

¹⁵ Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.

¹⁷ “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. ¹⁸ But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”

¹⁹ “Go in peace,” Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance, ²⁰ Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

²¹ So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

²² “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”

²³ “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.

²⁵ When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.

²⁶ But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? ²⁷ Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

What did Naaman know (verse 15)?

In your opinion, why did Elisha say “as surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will nat accept a thing” (verse 16)?

Who will Naaman “make burnt offerings and sacrifices” to (verse 17)?

What did Naaman want the Lord to forgive him for (verse 18)?

How did Elisha bless Naaman (verse 19)?

Who thought Elisha was “too easy on Naaman” (verse 20)?

In your opinion, why would Naaman ask “is everything all right” (verse 21)?

What lie did Gehazi tell to justify his request for “a talent of silver and two sets of clothing” (verse 22)?

Who carried the two talents of silver and two sets of clothing back for Gehazi (verse 23)?

When did Gehazi take the things he had been given (verse 24)?

How did Gehazi answer Elisha’s question “where have you been” (verse 25)?

In your opinion, why did Elisha add “olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves” to his question to Gehazi (verse 26)?

What will cling to Gehazi and his descendants forever (verse 27)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Luke 16:1-13 - New International Version (NIV)                 

¹ Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. ² So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

³ “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— ⁴ I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

⁵ “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

⁶ “‘Nine hundred gallons of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

⁷ “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

⁸ “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. ⁹ I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. ¹¹ So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? ¹² And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

¹³ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

What was the manager accused of doing (verse 1)?

Who ask for “an account of your management” (verse 2)?

What did the manager ask himself (verse 3)?

Where did the manager want people to welcome him (verse 4)?

Who did the manager call in (verse 5)?

What did the manager do (verses 6 and 7)?


How did the master react to what the dishonest manager did (verse 8)?


In your opinion, what does Jesus mean by saying “the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light” (verse 8)?


How should worldly wealth be used (verse 9)?


What can the person who can be trusted with little be trusted with (verse 10)?


In your opinion, what are the “true riches” that Jesus mentions (verse 11)?


Why can we only serve one master (verse 13)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, with the actions of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:15-27) and the dishonest manager (Luke 16:1-13) being so similar, why were the apparent outcomes very different?


Hebrews 1:1-4 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. ³ The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Who spoke “through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (verse 1)?

Who is “heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe” (verse 2)?

In your opinion, what does Paul mean by “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (verse 3)?

What did Jesus do after “he had provided purification for sins” (verse 4)?

Who did Jesus become superior to (verse 4)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, how is Naaman in 2 Kings 5:15-27 proof that Paul is right in Hebrews 1:1-4 when he says “God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways”?

In your opinion, how does Paul show in Hebrews 1:1-4 that Jesus is different from the negative example of the dishonest manager of Luke 16:1-13? 


James 5:1-6 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. ² Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. ³ Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days. ⁴ Look! The wages you failed to pay the workers who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord Almighty. ⁵ You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.  ⁶ You have condemned and murdered the innocent one, who was not opposing you.

Who does James say should “weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” (verse 1)?

What has rotted (verse 2)?


In your opinion, how will the corrosion of the gold and silver testify against the rich (verse 3)?


What cries out against the rich (verse 4)?


What have the rich fattened themselves for (verse 5)?


In your opinion, how could the rich have “condemned and murdered the innocent one” (verse 6)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, how does Naaman requesting “as much earth as a pair of mules may carry”, apparently for use in worshipping God, and Gehazi lying to obtain clothes and silver in 2 Kings 5:15-27 help us understand the contrast between the innocent and the rich in James 5:1-6?


In your opinion, as “people of the light” what should we learn from Jesus’ teaching about the dishonest manager in Luke 16:1-13 and James’ discussion about the corrosion of the rich people’s gold and silver in James 5:1-6?


In your opinion, how is Jesus, the “heir of all things” in Hebrews 1:1-4, who “provided purification for sins” an example for all those James 5:1-6 might consider “rich people” today?


In your opinion, what do these passages from 2 Kings, Luke, Hebrews and James teach us about the consequence of our choice between “God and money”?


In your opinion, how can we be trustworthy with our little (money, time and talents) so that we may be trusted with much by the Father today and for eternity?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)

July 7, 2019 – Learning from James – Mist to Meaning

Mist to Meaning


Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 - New International Version (NIV)

⁸ “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.
    “Everything is meaningless!”

⁹ Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. ¹⁰ The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. ¹² Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

¹³ Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.
¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil.

What was “Meaningless” (verse 8)?

Who “imparted knowledge to the people” (verse 9)?

What did the Teacher search for (verse 10)?

What are ”the words of the wise” like (verse 11)?

In your opinion, why should we be warned of “anything in addition to them” (verse 12)?

What is the “duty of all mankind” (verse 13)?

Who will “bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing” (verse 14)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

Mark 2:13-17 - New International Version (NIV)                

¹³ Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. ¹⁴ As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Who came to Jesus that “he began to teach” (verse 13)?

What did Jesus tell Levi son of Alphaeus (verse 14)?

What did Levi do (verse 14)?

Who was with Jesus at the dinner in Levi’s house (verse 15)?

In your opinion, were the teachers of the law eating with Jesus also (verse 16)?

What did the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” ask the disciples (verse 16)?


How did Jesus answer the question (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, who, in the events portrayed in Mark 2:13-17, do you think was being obedient to the instruction of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 to “fear God and keep his commandments”?


Romans 14:1-13 – New International Version (NIV)

¹ Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. ⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:

“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
    every tongue will acknowledge God.’”

¹² So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

How are we to “accept the one whose faith is weak” (verse 1)?

How must the “one who eats everything” not treat the “one who does not” (verses 2 and 3)?

What must the “one who does not eat everything” not do to “the one who does” (verses 2 and 3)?

Why will they stand (verse 4)?

In your opinion, why should the one who considers one day special and the one who considers all days alike both “be fully convinced in their own minds” (verses 5 and 6)?

What do none of us do for “ourselves alone” (verse 7)?

Who do we belong to “whether we live or die” (verse 8)?

Why did Christ die and return to life (verse 9)?

Where will we all stand (verse 10)?

What will every tongue do (verse 11)?

What will each give to God (verse 12)?

What should each of us make up our minds to not do (verse 13)?

In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?

In your opinion, what is the difference between fearing God and keeping His commandments as instructed by Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 and eating meat to the Lord or abstaining from eating meat to the Lord as Paul discusses in Romans 14:1-13?

In your opinion, what part of Paul’s instruction in Romans 14:1-13 are the “teachers of the law who were Pharisees” in Mark 2:13-17 violating? 


James 4:11-17 – New International Version (NIV)

¹¹ Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

What does someone who “speaks against a brother or sister or judges them” speak against (verse 11)?

How many can “save and destroy” (verse 12)?


In your opinion, why is it wrong to say “today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money” (verses 13 and 14)?


What should we say instead (verse 15)?


What kind of boasting is evil (verse 16)?


What is it if anyone “knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it” (verse 17)?


In your opinion, what is the basic message of this passage?


In your opinion, how is the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 saying that “everything is meaningless” but then saying that fearing God and keeping His commands is our duty similar to James saying that we “are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” but then adding that we should say “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” in James 4:11-17?  How are they different?


In your opinion, how can we who recognize our sinfulness be comforted by the fact that the one that James 4:11-17 says is the only “Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy” is the one who says in Mark 2:13-17 that ”I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners”?


In your opinion, how does Paul’s progression from condemning contempt or judging others to recognizing that “Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” in Romans 14:1-13 and James’ shift from condemning judging and boasting to saying “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that” in James 4:11-17 give us examples of the transformation we should make in ourselves today?


In your opinion, what do these passages from Ecclesiastes, Mark, Romans and James teach us about the parts of our lives that are meaningless and how to move on from meaningless to belonging to the Lord whether we live or die?


In your opinion, how can we move from the mist to a life of meaning?

(sprucewhispers.blogspot.com)